After six years in a cozy flat in central London, my husband, myself and our flatmate have moved in to a little house on the outskirts of the city...

It's not too far away from central London, but sufficiently far to feel that we're in a little village of its own. Which I quite like – it feels peaceful, there are birds singing around and kids playing on the streets, and I have a gorgeous patio garden with more space for my plants. Not to talk about the fact that each of us has more space to move about and for our things...

Happy? You bet! :-)

However, the move has shown me that I own more things than I thought... and thus I've decided to go minimalist and really let go of clothes and things I don't use anymore.

I quite love decluttering – I'm of the opinion that a clutter-free environment helps to have a clutter-free and focused mind. If you're interested on decluttering and getting ready for a new season, check Leo Babauta's ebook "Zen Habits Handbook For Life".

Now... ready for a gorgeous Summer! :-)

I found this news which fill me with hope about the way we use our planet... way to go!

Denmark has been making use of its garbage for a while... by transforming it into heat and electricity. Other countries in Europe also make use of these waste-to-energy plants - although the US still needs to catch up with it.

You can read the full news at The New York Times.

Sometimes everything seems to be going well in our lives: our relationships are harmonious, we have good health, we have money coming to us, and even other areas that we had trouble dealing with seem much easier to handle.

And yet, we may not be enjoying it any of it...

We may look at all that stuff going well with suspicion. We may think that it's "too good to be true"; we may actually feel a fear of losing those good things.

You know what? I believe that we are meant to live happy, blessed lives.

However, thousands of years of history and beliefs ingrained in our DNA have conditioned us to think that "we must work hard for things to happen", "we are not deserving", and so on. Beliefs that keep us playing it small, for one reason or another.

In short, we have grown so used to having life difficult that it feels strange to accept that life can be easy and pleasant.

I feel that we're at a time when we're more and more of us prepared to live a higher version of ourselves, which entails receiving many gifts, some of which we have asked for and some of which we haven't.

It is a good thing then that we train ourselves to receive, since we cannot possibly actualize ourselves without getting on to new stages. Evolution keeps on carrying us forward.

Here are a few affirmations to help us receive our gifts:

-I allow myself to enjoy all the good that comes to me

-It is easy for me to accept blessings and gifts

-I appreciate that my life flows smoothly

-I deserve having good experiences

-I accept that life is very easy now

Remember as well that we have the power to create a difficult reality through our thoughts; since you've created the pleasant reality you're experiencing, the only thing you need to do is accept it! :-)

This month, rather than bringing you a contribution from one of the readers of TBOPT, I'm sharing with you a link that a friend sent me a few days ago to the "We Feel Fine" web site.

Even though the whole web site is quite cool, what I'd love you to check is what happens when you click the image of the heart with the words "We Feel Fine" in it.

A whole new universe opens up: a number of animated graphics related to emotions and feelings, which collect the thoughts expressed on the internet from people all over the world.

I had a fun time exploring the graphic for "The most common feelings overall" - under the link "Mounds". Check it out - quite funky!

First of all, you may recall that in the last issue of Dare To Play It Big I announced the contest to win a free copy of my friend Deb's ebook "Resistance Toys: Clever Distractions Designed to Change Your Mind One Neuropathway at a Time".

We received many good entries, but two of them were that good that Deb decided to give away two copies of her ebook rather than one. Congratulations to Tina and to Munawara, and thank you Deb!

This month, I'm recommending the good cause that my friend Brandy is engaged on. As she describes:

"I'm currently in a competition called The Next Top Spiritual Author, competing to win a contract with a leading spiritual publisher-Hampton Roads Publishing.

I'm really passionate about this book because it's a true story about the spiritual lessons I've learned from my mother's bi-polar disorder. The book is called The Art of Giving Love: The Journey of Finding Yourself in the Midst of a Mother's Pain.

I feel this book can touch the lives of millions of people who struggle to feel at peace with themselves, especially when a mother's emotional baggage is at the forefront of this person's self-esteem.

With this book, I'm sending a message of the importance of self-love. And if you feel inspired by this message, please be sure to vote at NextTopAuthor.com."

If you're touched by her message, I'd encourage you to vote for her; I did, since the issues she puts forward reach me as well - one of my aunts suffer bi-polar disorder, and I have seen how that's affected her and the rest of the family.

Besides, Brandy and I have opened a contest for five of you to receive a free copy of her ebook "Positive Affirmations for Your Daily Living".

The contest opens today, 17 April 2010, and closes on 30 April 2010. All you have to do to participate is to answer this question:

You can submit your entry through the Contact Me form on my web site - copy and paste the question, and then enter and submit your answer.

The five best answers will receive a free copy of Brandy's ebook "Positive Affirmations for Your Daily Living" - we'll notify the winners on 1 May 2010.

Good luck!

I believe that being grateful for something is one of the most powerful tools to feel better immediately. Here are the two thanking bits of the month:

Thankful for... Spring! Even though the weather is still coldish here in London, Spring has definitely arrived and there is life sprouting everywhere - leaves and flowers and little birds... Beautiful new beginnings that we're fortunate to witness.

Thankful for... our sense of hearing. Have you ever stopped to listen? And I mean, really listening. At any given time, if you stop whatever you're doing and just listen, you'll realize that there are many more sounds happening that you'd be able to describe, had you been asked.

For instance, as I type I can hear the sound of the keys I press, the humming of the laptop, a ball kicked by a child playing on the street, a car far away.

Stopping and listening to all that is going on as if it was one big orchestra is not only fun to do - it also develops the right side of our brains.

What are you thankful for? Send me an email through the Contact Me form and let me know!

Thank you for reading this issue of Dare To Play It Big, the free positive thinking newsletter of The Benefits Of Positive Thinking.

Care to send me your thoughts about this issue's topics? Email me and let me know!

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please pass it along to your friends, family and colleagues, or send them to the Dare To Play It Big sign up page. I thank you in advance.

Stay well,

Cristina